


Spin the Bottle

by abitofarockyroad



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Reader-Insert, Spin the Bottle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-11 06:52:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5617459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abitofarockyroad/pseuds/abitofarockyroad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Steve x Reader on this high school AU “Weve been best friends for practically our whole lives but youre a thousand times more popular than me so you dragged me to a big party and now we’re play spin the bottle and you spin and it lands on me oh crap”</p><p>You aren’t paying attention when the bottle stops and only look up when Natasha nudges your knee. The bottle has landed on you.</p><p>Your mouth falls open and you look up to see Steve’s eyes on yours, a peculiar expression on his face. You hear someone sigh, followed by a few giggles around the circle. People break into casual conversation, waiting for you to take your turn.</p><p>“Come on man kiss her already.” Someone calls and this seems to jolt Steve into action. He shuffles towards you across the circle, kneeling directly in front of you, his eyes locked on yours.</p><p>“So urmm…” He says awkwardly, clearly not sure what to do.</p><p>“Kiss her!” Someone shouts and Steve lunges forward as if wanting to get it over with before changing your mind. As soon as his lips meet yours though, everything changes. He lingers and you immediately reciprocate the kiss, his hand moving up to your cheek as the kiss deepens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (possibly a part 2 coming so keep checking back)

“Mate come on I don’t want to go to this thing!” You beg, remaining adamantly in the passenger seat of Steve’s car.

“It won’t be that bad.” He insists, prodding your arm gently.

“It so will.” You insist, crossing your arms.

“Please. Just do this one thing for me. Pretty please. I will repay you in sexual favours?” Steve pleads and you can’t help but crack a smile. You look away so as not to give him the satisfaction, and unclip your seatbelt.

“Better be some damn good sexual favours.” You grumble, opening the car door and reluctantly stepping out.

“I knew you were my best friend for a reason.”

“What so you can guilt trip me into going to a popular kid party with you?” You jab, walking round to his side of the car, the accusing house in front of you.

“How many times have I gone to things with you, my friends aren’t that bad.” You scoff, making Steve chuckle slightly.

“Your friend group comprises almost solely of jocks and cheerleaders.”

“And?”

“I feel like I have made my case.” You glance again at the house, the nerves that had been simmering in you all afternoon reaching a tumult. Steve seems to read the fear on your face, and holds out his hand. You take it and give him a grateful smile, the warmth of Steve’s skin against yours keeping you somewhat grounded.

“Give it an hour. If you hate it after that, we can go back to mine and watch a film ok? My parents are out so we can watch whatever we want as loud as we want.”

“Fine.” You sigh in resignation and let Steve lead you towards the house, music blaring.

The front door had been left slightly ajar, and Steve pushes it open walking inside. Immediately the few people gathered in the hallway greet Steve with enthusiasm, but Steve holds tight to your hand. A few people give you a nod of recognition, having shared the odd class with you at school, but nobody says a word to you. Steve was the most stereotypical popular guy in school. Quarterback, hot, dating the head cheerleader, good grades, everything you could ever want to be to be at the top of your game in high school.

You however, were not. You were in the literature club, opting for spending your time writing than going to pep rallies and football games. You were in most AP classes and so instead of going to parties you spent your time studying, relying on getting a scholarship to get into a good college. You never really spoke to anyone, Steve being your one consistent friend. Your moms were best friends and you were thrust into each other’s company from babies, remaining friends your entire life.

Steve pulled you further into the party, receiving many high five and back slaps as he heads for the drinks table. You release Steve’s hand and reach eagerly for anything that looks remotely alcoholic, throwing some back, whatever you had poured hastily into a cup burning the back of your throat. You gag slightly and cough, Steve watching you in amusement as you quickly pour some coke and down that to soothe the burn.

“You know what I admire about you, how smooth you are.” Steve muses, turning and leaning against the table so he can survey the room.

“One of my many qualities.” You gasp, turning with him and breathing normally. You feel slightly overwhelmed looking at the room in front of you, completely full of bodies all rubbing and dancing up against each other.

“So is Stacy here?” You ask with obvious distaste. You had never liked Steve’s girlfriend, and you were pleased that the feeling was clearly mutual.

“She should be.” Steve says, peering around. “Be nice.” He adds as an afterthought.

“Aren’t I always?” You spot the offending cheerleader and point her out. “I believe she is the one currently grinding in her gal pal Tiffany.”

“Ah yes that would be her.” Steve grins, pushing himself off the table and burrowing into the crowd. “Be right back.”

 

“Steve no wait.” You call desperately after him, but he has already been swallowed by the room, leaving you standing awkwardly by yourself.

“Hey. (y/n) right?” You hear a voice beside you say over the music. Your head snaps in the direction of the voice in shock, your eyes fixing on the guy standing next to you pouring a drink.

“Yes?”

“I’m Bucky. We have English together.” He smiles and offers you a drink, you politely shaking your head.

“Right. I’ve urr…never spoken to you before.” You say in an incredibly intellectual manner.

“Well no.” Bucky agrees, grinning at you again. “Do you not want to talk?”

“No no! I’d love to talk.” You scramble to keep the conversation, grateful for someone to actually talk to.

“Good. It’s kinda loud in here, there’s a couple people in the back room chilling if you wanna come?” He asks, gesturing towards a door behind you. You look up for Steve and manage to catch his eye, beckoning him over.

“Alright if Steve comes?” You ask, Bucky’s smile faltering slightly.

“Yeah I guess.” He shrugs, greeting Steve when he arrives, Stacy trailing behind.

“We’re gunna go to the back room.” You explain to Steve and he grins, Stacy following him like a lost puppy. You let them walk in front, following with Bucky. You feel Bucky’s hand on the small of your back as you walk through the door, the spot where his hand is touching burning.

“I’ll be right back.” He mutters to you once you are in the quiet of the back room. You nod and smile, watching him leave through a side door. You locate Steve and flop down onto the floor next to him.

“Where’s Stacy?” You ask, leaning your head against his shoulder gently.

“Bathroom.” He explains and you sit up, nodding. “You having fun?”

“Well I’m not having a bad time so that’s better than nothing.” You say with a shrug, smiling.

“Can’t ask for much more than that.”

“SPIN THE BOOOOTTLE!!!” A very drunk voice calls across the room, followed by a chorus of cheers from the other people sitting around on the floor. A feeling of dread settles in your stomach as everyone in the room form a huge circle. You find yourself shoved away from Steve, sitting nearly on the opposite side of the circle from him. There are only about 15 people playing after the few people muttering about it being childish and immature have left.

“Alright I’ll go first!” A girl whose face you vaguely recognise from school shouted eagerly. They spin and land on one of Steve’s football friends, instantly collapsing into a fit of giggles. Once she has composed herself, she crawls towards the guy and pecks him on the lips, the guys friends clapping him on the back. High school is strange. The guy who just got kissed takes his turn spinning, finding it landing on Steve.

“No way man that’s so gay, that shit’s wrong. I want to get a chick.” He blurts immediately and you sigh.

“Masculinity is so fragile.” You murmur under your breath, apparently loud enough for a girl next to you to hear. She laughs slightly and you turn to look at her, wide eyed.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m Natasha.” She holds out her hand and you shake it slowly, smiling. “Guys huh?”

“Idiots the lot of them.”

“Oh come here you big lug!” You hear Steve cry and watch him launch himself across the circle, slamming his lips onto his apparent homophobic friend’s. The circle bursts into roars of appreciative laughter, Steve’s friend scrabbling to get away from him.

“BRO!” He cries when Steve moves back to his place in the circle, wiping his lips furiously. Steve was known in the school to be bi, and this fact seemed to have freaked out the guy even more. Steve shrugs and grins, everyone else still in peels of laughter.

“Come on man I am a great kisser.” Steve calls, setting everyone off again. Eventually, the guys angry face settles into a reluctant grin, then he starts laughing with the others, figuring he wasn’t going to get any backing.

“Yeah good one bro. Your turn to spin.” He calls to Steve, apparently eager to get the attention off him. The laughter finally dies down to a quiet bubble and Steve grabs the bottle, spinning it violently. You could see the girls in the group watching the bottle with eagle eyes, clearly hoping they would be the lucky person it landed on. You aren’t paying attention when the bottle stops and only look up when Natasha nudges your knee. The bottle has landed on you.

Your mouth falls open and you look up to see Steve’s eyes on yours, a peculiar expression on his face. You hear someone sigh, followed by a few giggles around the circle. People break into casual conversation, waiting for you to take your turn.

“Come on man kiss her already.” Someone calls and this seems to jolt Steve into action. He shuffles towards you across the circle, kneeling directly in front of you, his eyes locked on yours.

“So urmm…” He says awkwardly, clearly not sure what to do.

“Kiss her!” Someone shouts and Steve lunges forward as if wanting to get it over with before changing your mind. As soon as his lips meet yours though, everything changes. He lingers and you immediately reciprocate the kiss, his hand moving up to your cheek as the kiss deepens. You can tell everyone around you is going silent as you and Steve keep kissing, his tongue slipping into your mouth, your hands running slowly up his bent legs. You aren’t sure how much time has past when you hear Natasha clear her throat next to you. You break away from Steve, catching your breath. Everyone’s eyes are on you, your cheeks instantly reddening at the stares.

“I’m gunna go…find Stacy.” Steve jumps up and dashes out of the room. Everyone remains silent, staring at you.

“I need a drink.” You say, standing and running after Steve, almost crying from embarrassment. You walk out just in time to see him heading up the stairs and you follow quickly, needing to talk to him.

“Steve!” You call, almost tripping up the stairs in your haste.

“I need to talk to Stacy.” He mumbles, pushing open the doors at random.

“Can we talk first maybe?” You ask, pulling on his sleeve insistently.

“This is important.” He has a look of determination set in his face. He pushes open another door and freezes.

 

“What’s-” You peer inside and stop talking when you see what’s happening inside.

You had apparently found the master bedroom. With the king sized bed. In which Stacy and Bucky were having very very butt naked sex. They don’t even notice you and Steve standing in the doorway staring. Stacy’s pornstar-esqe moans make you cringe, Bucky all too eagerly thrusting into her.

“Well then.” You say awkwardly, a lot louder than you had intended. Bucky and Stacy freeze and you see Stacy look up in your direction.

“Oh no please, you two finish.” Steve says bitterly, ignoring Stacy’s calls as he turns and storms down the stairs. You follow quickly, not entirely sure what to say. You follow Steve outside and back to his car, slipping into the passenger seat just as he is pulling away.

“Steve calm down!” You cry as he speeds in the direction of his house, his eyes fixed on the road. Your voice seems to knock some sense into him and his foot backs off of the accelerator. In fact, he pulls over and just comes to a complete stop.

“I was going to find Stacy to break up with her.” He says, still not looking at you.

“Oh?” You say quietly. “I’m…sorry?”

“I’m not.” He finally turns to look at you, and before you can say anything else his lips are on yours again. Your head is spinning when he breaks off, your mouth slightly open.

“We should go back to your house.” You say urgently.

“Yup.” Steve agrees, kissing you quickly once more before pulling away again, driving back to his house with his hand resting gently on your thigh as if it was the most natural thing in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to popular demand, have part 2! There will probably be more after this, I have a story idea planned out. I don’t know how many parts yet but keep an eye out :)

When you get home, Steve sits quietly in the car, still looking straight forward.

“Steve? Are you ok?”

“Yeah…I’m good. Let’s go inside.” And without another word he gets out of the car and walks off, leaving you sitting alone and confused. You jump out of the car and follow him up his front path, pausing as he unlocks the door. He holds it open for you and you walk in, soothed by the warmth inside.

“Are you sure you’re-” You start to say as Steve shuts the front door, but before you can finish your sentence Steve’s lips are on yours. He backs you up slowly so you are pressed against the wall, Steve’s body pushing against yours as you kiss. Your hands run up his back as his tongue slides along your bottom lip.

“Couch.” Steve murmurs into your mouth and you nod quickly, breaking your lips away from him, grabbing his belt buckle and dragging him towards his couch. His eyes widen as you push him down onto the couch, straddling his hips so you are perched on his lap, your body pressed against his.

“What? Didn’t think I had it in me?” You ask with a grin, running your fingers slowly through Steve’s hair, his hands on your hips, fingers spread wide.

“No…it’s just…you’re just…god you’re beautiful.” And with that he sits forward and claims your lips again, hungrily, and urgently. You push your body into his and roll your hips gently, Steve gasping into your mouth, his hands pulling your hips closer to him.

“Wait…wait.” You say suddenly, pulling away from Steve, his hands now running up your top. He freezes and stares at you, mouth slightly open, eyes wide.

“What?”

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” You shake your head adamantly, your body suddenly filling with guilt.

“Oh we really should.”

“Did you just unhook my bra?” You ask, Steve pulling his hands very quickly out from under your top. He shakes his head, lips pressed tightly together clearly suppressing a smile. “Are you kidding me.”

“Oh come on that was some skill right there.”

“I am trying to be serious here, how can I be serious now?!” You cry in exasperation, not being able to stop the small smile creeping onto your face.

“Ok ok I’m sorry. Serious time. You should just take off your bra then we can be serious.” Steve says, nodding with a straight face.

“Oh would that make you happy? Would you listen to me then?”

“Definitely.”

“Fine.” It takes you a matter of five seconds to remove your bra from under your top, pull it free, and drop it next to Steve on the couch, who’s face is now lit up in childlike glee.

“Did not think that would work.” He mutters, his hands snaking up your sides again, his eyes raking over your body.

“Steve, focus!” You slap his hands away and he pulls them back again, eyes flicking to yours.

“How the hell am I meant to focus now your bra is off?!”

“You promised!”

“Ok fine. Fine.”

“You just broke up with your girlfriend I don’t want to be some kind of rebound.” You say very quickly in one breath, not meeting Steve’s eye.

“You’re not a rebound.”

“But-”

“I didn’t even technically break up with her, I just assumed it was implied by the fact she was screwing Bucky-”

“Oh so that’s supposed to make me feel better, you haven’t even broken up yet and I am here, on your lap, with my bra off!”

“Let me finish. I was planning on breaking up with her anyway. That’s why I went to find her. I never had feelings for her. She was head cheerleader, I’m the quarterback. It made sense!”

“Right…” You say slowly, trying to wrap your head around what was happening. “So…”

“So you shouldn’t worry about anything. I was going to break up with her so I could be with you.”

“Me?!”

 

“I thought that was pretty obvious.” Steve says with a laugh, gesturing at you sitting on him.

“Oh…” You murmur, feeling your cheeks flush. “So…I’m not a rebound?”

“No.”

“And…you want to be with me?”

“Yes.”

“Well…ok then.” You grin, warmth spreading through your body.

 

“Can we continue now? The whole no bra thing is really distracting.” Steve asks, his hands back on your sides. You don’t reply, instead smirking at him, reaching for the hem of your top, and pulling it over your head, dropping it on top of your bra.

“How’s that?” You ask, hands on your hips, amused at the flush spreading through Steve’s cheeks.

“That is…great. Really great.”

“That’s all my boobs get? Great? I have amazing boobs!”

“Oh I’m not saying you don’t. I, this is just a little strange you know. We’ve been friends for so long and I had the stupid crush and now you are on my lap topless, you know?”

“Crush? What crush?” You ask curiously, watching as the flush in Steve’s cheeks grows.

 

“Oh come on you can’t tell me you don’t have any feelings for me at all?” He protests.

“I never said that I just want to hear you tell me about this huge crush you had on me.” You say with a laugh, Steve glaring at you.

“I wouldn’t say huge crush.” He scoffs, running his hands up and down your back slowly, his touch making you tingle. It was then you heard a key in the front door, and voices coming in from outside.

“Shit.” You gasp, grabbing your top and pulling it on, Steve hastily stuffing your bra in his back pocket. “I thought they weren’t coming back till later?!” You whisper, scrambling to get off Steve’s lap.

 

“I didn’t think they were! Get off me!”

“Steve?” You hear his mum call, her footsteps getting closer as you fall off Steve’s lap when he stands up, sprawling on the floor. “Oh. (y/n). Hello.”

“Hi Mrs Rogers.” You call, standing up and brushing yourself off, hoping it wasn’t too obvious you weren’t wearing a bra.

“I didn’t think you were coming back later mom.” Steve’s mum turns his attention to him, sighing.

“You father made a fool of himself at the wedding reception so I had to bring him home.” As if on cue, Steve’s dad stumbles in, hiccuping slightly.

“Dear I don’t mean to startle you but it appears someone has stolen our stairs.” He slurs, looking incredibly serious and concerned.

“Did you two have a good party? I thought Stacy was going to stay here tonight?” Steve’s mum ignores her husband who is now carefully pulling on her ringlets, giggling when each of them bounce back up.

“Me and Stacy broke up.”

“Good.” Steve’s dad pipes up, pointing at Steve. “She was a bitch anyway.”

“Thanks dad.” Steve sighs. “Can (y/n) stay?”

“Of course dear. Just make sure you get up for school tomorrow yeah? Are you alright to sort out the spare room I need to help this one locate the stairs.”

“Sure thing. Night mum.”

“Night dear. Night (y/n).”

“The stairs!” You hear Steve’s dad cry in triumph from the hallway as he is lead to bed. You glance at Steve and catch his eye, the pair of you bursting into laughter.

“Alright let’s go to bed. It’s a school night.” You say, holding out your hand. Steve takes it and you lead him upstairs, heading for his bedroom.

“Did you want some sheets for the spare room?” Steve asks, pausing on the landing.

“No I’m good.” You look at Steve pointedly and after a few seconds he seems to understand, grinning and following you into his room. You both kick off your shoes and pull off your jeans, sliding under the covers. Almost tentatively he wraps his arms around you and you lie close together, Steve’s knees tucked behind yours, your back against his chest.

“Night.” He whispers, placing a gentle kiss against your neck. You smile and relax into his touch, falling asleep in your best friend’s arms.


	3. Chapter 3

You wake up the next morning, Steve’s breath tickling the back of your neck. You glance at your phone, the bright screen making you squint. It was only a couple of minutes before your alarm, so you disable it and pull the covers back. When you try and slide out of bed though, you find yourself stopped by Steve, his arms wrapped tightly around you.

“Steve, let go, we need to get up.”

“No.” You hear him mumble into the pillow, pulling you closer to his body. “You’re warm.”

“Steve we have school, we need to get ready.” You insist. With a grumble, Steve releases you and rolls over, burrowing himself into the duvet again. You slip out of bed and head to the bathroom, thankful Steve’s parents always left incredibly early for work.

When you got back to Steve’s room you stopped and smiled at the sight of him, curled up in a ball, fast asleep, his face peaceful. You had seen him like this a thousand times, but now it was different, you felt a warm rush of affection looking at him in the bed, your stomach twisting nervously at the same time.

Sure you had spent the night as Steve’s before, you had shared a bed before, but that was when you were just friends. When you were in complete and utter denial of the feelings overwhelming your system while you stood and watched Steve sleep.

“Are you watching me sleep?” You hear Steve mumble, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“No.” You say quickly, walking round to his side of the bed and seeing him blinking sleepily.

“You so were.”

“I was just thinking the best way to get you out of bed.” You shoot back, Steve grumbling in response and closing his eyes again.

“You have always been so bad at getting up.” You chuckle, leaning down and brushing your lips against Steve’s. He responds lazily, his head moving slightly to push into the kiss. “Maybe you just need some motivation.”

You see Steve open one eye to watch you as walk to his wardrobe. You had lost count of the amount of times after a party you had ended up crashing at Steve’s so he had a small shelf in his wardrobe for your clothes, in case of emergencies. You grab a tshirt and some underwear, throwing them onto the bed. Steve now has both eyes open, his head tilted slightly, watching. You turn your back on him and start getting changed slowly, feeling his eyes burning into your back.

“See that’s just cruel.” Steve whines, and you finally hear him moving, his lips pressed against the back of your neck within a few seconds.

“Got you out of bed though.” You laugh. “Now go shower.”

“You not going to join me?” He asks with a grin and a wink.

“Steve.” You raise an eyebrow.

“Ok ok I’m going.”

By the time you have dressed and refreshed your makeup, Steve is strolling back into his room, hair wet, drops of water rolling down his naked torso, a towel hanging very low on his waist. He stands with his back to you, rummaging through his wardrobe, and you find yourself just staring. Staring at his wide shoulders and the movement of his back muscles as he reaches for clothes. Staring at his ruffled hair and flushed face, his stomach and the line of muscles just below.

“Enjoying the view?” Steve asks, and your eyes shoot up to his face, your cheeks flushing bright red.

“Oh come on you know how good you look.” You scoff, and Steve shrugs, grinning.

“I had to get my revenge for earlier somehow.”

“Bastard.” You mumble, standing and stopping just in front of him. “Can I touch them.”

“What?”

“You’re…” You point at Steve’s abs and his well defined six pack.

“Go nuts.”

He stands very still as you place your hands on his stomach, your cool skin making him tense under your touch. He quickly relaxes, his breathing getting heavy as you run your fingers up and down his chest, mapping out his body slowly and carefully. You walk slowly around his back, running your hands down his back, raking your fingernails gently as you move your hands down to his thin waist. When you get back round to face him, his lips are parted, eyes wide and pupils blown.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You ask, standing so your bodies are almost touching, Steve’s eyes boring into yours. He doesn’t reply, instead moving his hand to the back of your neck, leaning down and pressing his lips firmly against yours. Your hands move to press against his chest and you gently nibble his bottom lip, earning a low moan.

“You do things to me…” He almost growls against your lips, and you smile, looking down.

“Well one thing I am going to do to you now is make you get dressed. We need to go to school.”

“Oh come on let’s take a day. Stay here. Get back into bed.” He pleads, moving his head back and giving you puppy dog eyes.

“I have a test today and so do you. Come on, you can come back to my place after school? My parents always come home late.”

“Ok fine.” He finally agrees, his lips pouting slightly.

“Can I use your printer quickly?” You ask, Steve nodding as he grabs clothes. “Taa.” You head downstairs and into the study, turning on Steve’s computer and logging into his email. It only takes you a few minutes to print off what you need and leave the room. Before you get to the stairs however, you hear noises from the kitchen. Assuming Steve had grabbed some toast, you peer around the door, instead getting a surprise.

“Pancakes?” Steve calls with a grin on his face. He is still topless, and has exchanged the towel for a pair of boxers. There is a small apron tied around his waist, and he is holding a plate out for you with a stack of pancakes on it.

“You made pancakes…”

“Well yeah you showed me your boobs yesterday the least I can do is make you breakfast.” Steve says with a shrug, sliding a few more onto a plate for him.

“Ok…” You say, not sure if you should be amused or confused, watching as Steve grabs butter and syrup and gestures for you to follow him to the table. You sit and let Steve smother your pancakes and he watches happily as you tuck in.

“Good?” He asks, almost tentatively once you have finished.

“Yeah really good. Thank you.” You smile as Steve stands up happily and takes your plate. He hesitates for a moment before taking the plates back to the kitchen, first leaning down and kissing you gently, his lips tasting like syrup. When you kiss him back, even though only for a second, when he breaks away his smile has grown.

“How long do we have?” He calls from the kitchen, and you check your phone.

“About half an hour, but I wanted to swing by my place first to grab my school bag, that cool?” You ask, trying to keep your eyes on Steve’s face as he reappears, this time without the apron around his waist.

“Yeah no worries, I can drive. It shouldn’t take us too long. I’ll go get dressed then we can leave.” He says, heading for the stairs. You watch as he bounds up the stairs, two steps at a time, marveling at how good he looks in only boxers.


	4. Chapter 4

You drive by your house before heading to school so you can grab your books. You run into the house and sprint up the stairs, finding your bag almost immediately. Pausing quickly, you fix your hair and put some more makeup over what you still had on from yesterday, and deem yourself presentable.

When you step back outside and pull your front door shut, you smirk when you see Steve. He is leaning casually against the bonnet of his car, letterman jacket on, hands in pockets, staring casually into the distance. He looked like such a stereotypical jock it was ridiculous.

“You look like a huge twat right now.” You call as you walk across the lawn towards him. His head turns to you, and a grin spreads across his face.

“Awh you’re too kind.”

“Shut your face. Let’s go, we’re gunna be late.” You say with a laugh, climbing into his car.

“You were the one who insisted stopping here so you could preen or whatever it is you were doing.”

“I was getting my books. Shut up.” You say, only after realising his choice of words. “Preen? Am I a bird?”

“You’re my bird.” He says with a grin, apparently glad to have been given the opportunity to make his joke.

“And you’re an idiot.”

“Do you realise how much you actually insult me?” Steve asks as you pull into the school’s parking lot. You shrug and open the door as soon as Steve stops the car, jumping out and jogging away.

“Come on dipshit. Things to see and people to do, hurry up!”

“That wasn’t a nice thing to say. And what people are you doing?!” Steve calls, a look of mild concern on his face.

“Hurry up pretty boy.” You chuckle as he jogs over to you, and the pair of you walk into the building together.

You head for your locker and notice Steve lingering very closely behind you. You look at him suspiciously, trying to work out what was going on, when it clicks.

“Steve.”

“Yes?” He asks innocently.

“Have you done something to my locker?”

“Nooooo why would I do that?”

“Steve.”

“I did nothing…major…” He admits, grinning widely. You sigh and traipse over to your locker, reluctantly putting in your combination. You flinch slightly as you swing the door open, expecting some kind of explosion, but when nothing happens you peer inside.

“What’s this?” You ask curiously, reaching inside your locker and grabbing the small box with a bow on it, placed carefully on top of your books.

“I told you, nothing major.” He shrugs and moves to lean his back against the lockers next to yours, his head turned to watch as you open the box.

“Steve…” You look at him, then back to the box, then back at him.

“Yeah.”

“Steve there’s nothing in the box.” You tip it upside down to illustrate this, shaking it slightly for good measure.

“Oh yeah, you’re getting your present later.”

“Why not now?”

“It wouldn’t fit in the box.” He says simply, his grin widening.

“You promised you wouldn’t do anything big!”

“Oh come on it’s your eighteenth birthday I had to do something.” He says firmly, holding out his hand. You sigh and shut your locker, taking his hand and letting him lead you to your first class.

“You really didn’t. You know I don’t like a huge fuss.” You say quietly. You had never been a fan of birthdays, not for any particular reason, you just saw them as kind of pointless.

“Well I do so shut up and get over it.”

“You’re very annoying, you know that?” You ask, Steve’s thumb gently moving against your hand as you walk to class.

“Oh my GOD you guys what the fuck are you doing?!” You hear footsteps from behind you and turn to see Nat running in your direction down the corridor.

“What are you on about?” You ask when she makes it to you.

“Did nobody tell you what happened at the party after you left?” She asks urgently, linking arms with you and dragging you to the side of the corridor.

“No?” You glance at Steve, who shrugs.

“Stacy went nuts. Literally. She is not happy. Bucky was trying to calm her down but she kept slapping him saying it was all his fault, accusing him of forcing himself on her. The police showed up at one point. It was ridiculous. She isn’t going to be happy if she sees you two all cosy walking down the corridor hand in hand.”

“Shit…” You mutter, Steve’s face paling slightly.

“What do we do?” He asks nervously.

“Well you’re gunna have to talk to her and break up with her properly.” You say, Nat nodding along beside you.

“Fuck no, you talk to her.”

“Why would I talk to her?!” You cry, the bell for first period ringing. “We will talk about this later.”

“Fine.” And with that he heads into class, leaving you and Nat in the corridor.

 

“This isn’t going to play out well for me is it?” You ask with a sigh.

“I’m guessing no.”

As it turned out, Stacy had taken the day off school for a reason one of her cheerleader cronies refused to tell Nat, who had taken it upon herself to become our official spy. You got through the day without major incident, only once seeing Bucky lurking at the end of the corridor, his eyes on you. By the time you had called Nat over though, he had vanished.

“So back to mine yeah?” You ask as Steve takes your hand after the final bell has rung. The pair of you head for his car, occasionally pushed or shoved by the enthusiastic masses around you.

“Yeah sure thing.” You throw your bag into the back of the car and slide into the front seat, Steve starting the engine and pulling out. His hand rests gently on your thigh as you drive, the light pressure and warmth reassuring, and you wonder why you didn’t always do this. When you pull up outside your house, you get suspicious.

“There isn’t a huge party waiting for me inside is there?” You narrow your eyes at Steve, who holds up his hands in defense.

“Now come on, would I ever do a thing like that?”

“I don’t know…let’s find out.” You get out the car and grab your things, heading for your front door with Steve close behind you. You brace yourself as you unlock the front door, pushing it open gingerly. When nothing happens, you breath a sigh of relief, stepping in and dropping your bag on the floor.

“(y/n)?” You hear your mums voice call from the living room.

“Mum?” You reply, walking down the hallway and through the door. “I thought you weren’t coming back till-”

“Happy birthday sweetheart.” Your mum and dad chorus. They’re sitting at the table, a small pile of presents in front of them, along with a cake and a balloon.

“We knew you didn’t want a big fuss. Open your presents then we’re going out and you can have the house to yourself all evening.” You dad says quickly.

“It was Steve’s idea actually.” You mum says softly, looking at Steve with happy eyes. She had always been fond of Steve.

“Thanks guys.” You give them each a hug, before sitting down and opening your presents.

“You ready for mine now?” Steve asks, practically bouncing up and down in his chair once you had opened the gifts from your parents.

“Lord…I’m not sure I am but go ahead.” You say, bracing yourself for anything.

“Ok, close your eyes.” Steve says, and you sigh, shutting your eyes tight. You hear him leave the room, then listen as his footsteps come back towards you.

“Can I open my eyes now?” You ask, feeling him right beside you.

“Yeah open them.”

You open your eyes and gasp, your eyes flicking to Steve, then back to the puppy he had just placed on the table in front of you. Your hands automatically reach for the tiny ball of fluff and you hold it tight against your body, feeling it wriggle in your arms.

“Steve…”

“You were so sad after your old dog died, and I cleared everything with your mum and dad. All the vets stuff is done, there’s a load of food and dog stuff in the garage. I didn’t name him, I thought you would want to.” Steve says quickly, looking nervous.

“You got me a puppy.” You say, unable to process anything else as you hug the puppy tightly.

“Is it ok?”

“It’s perfect Steve. Thank you.” You stand and hug him tightly. Wishing you could do more, but with your parents watching it was best to keep it PG.

“Alright. We’re off then. You kids have fun.” Your parents give you a hug and a kiss each, before saying their goodbyes and heading out the door.

“You are without a doubt, the best friend anyone could ever ask for.” You say, gesturing for Steve to follow you up the stairs to your room.

“So what do I have to do to make the transfer from best friend to boyfriend?”

“It’s been a day mate, have some patience yeah?”

“You did show me your boobs though. And I made you pancakes, and got you a puppy.”

“Pancakes and puppy aside, we have been friends practically our whole lives. It’s going to take some time to get used to being more than friends, you know?” You say, getting to your room and sitting on the edge of your bed, setting your puppy down on the floor.

“So what are you going to call him?” Steve asks, sitting close beside you, his hand on your thigh.

“How does Mephistopheles sound?”

“You want to name your dog after a servant of Satan?”

“Well Satan would be too obvious.” You explain, Steve raising his eyebrow.

“Ok fine. What about…Frank.”

“How the fuck did you go from Mephistopheles to Frank?”

“Frank it is!” You laugh at Steve’s face of complete unamusement, kissing his cheek lightly.

“Is that all I get?” He asks, his eyes twinkling.

“Well I don’t know. What is it you’re after?” You ask, your laughter fading as Steve slowly begins leaning towards you, his breath tickling your face. You stay completely still as his lips gently graze across your jaw. His hand runs up your thigh and your stomach twists, your breathing heavier as his lips finally press against yours. As soon as they touch, Frank the puppy starts barking and growling, grabbing the hem of Steve’s jeans and tugging.

“This dog is a fucking cockblock.” Steve mumbles, looking unamused as he moves his head away from yours to look down at Frank. “Frank, piss off.”

“Leave Frank alone.” You pick him up off the floor and he stops barking instantly. “He is just jealous.”

“You better not pay more attention to that dog than me.”

“Oh look who’s the jealous one now.” You say with a laugh, Steve’s expression only making you laugh more.


	5. Chapter 5

As it turns out, Stacy has come down with a mystery illness which means she isn’t in school for the rest of the week, or the next one. You and Steve take advantage of this, despite the fact you know her cronies are watching you closely, reporting everything back. Nat did some digging and seems to think she’s managed to pick up tonsillitis from someone. No sign of an STD though, much to Nat’s disappointment.

Frank had grown in the two weeks since your birthday, almost doubling in size, and doubling mischief wise as well. He was very protective over you, and you quickly learnt that if you and Steve wanted to fool around, you couldn’t kept Frank in the same room. Lest Steve get any more bites on his ankles that is.

Nothing much had changed between you and Steve either. You hadn’t progressed, you hadn’t gone backwards. It still felt slightly strange to have him as more than a friend, and neither of you wanted to push the boundaries before you were ready. You did however spend every moment possible together, rarely not touching. Even if it was just a hand resting gently on a leg, or shoulders leaning together, there was always one part of you together.

After the second week of Stacy’s absence, Steve picked you up before school. You gave him a look as you got into the car, which he returned.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” He says slowly, pulling away from your house.

“Well Nat said she was supposed to be back today. Cheerleaders are vicious man she is gunna scratch up my face or something.”

“I won’t let her do anything don’t worry.” Steve says reassuringly, his hand on your leg, his thumb moving in circles. “Plus we have Nat and I am pretty sure she has killed a man with her thighs before.”

“Yeah she does give off that kind of vibe doesn’t she…” You muse.

“She could very easily be an assassin. You wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of her.”

“Oh fuck no.”

You continued discussing Natasha, the potential super spy, all the way to school. After you had parked you stayed sitting in the car, debating Nat’s possible methods and secret identities. You were so engrossed in your conversation, a sudden knock on your window made you jump. You turned and saw Nat standing there, waving through the window. 

“What are you lovebirds talking about?” She asks when you roll down your window.

“Whether you’ve killed a man with your thighs.” You explain as you get out the car, and she nods appreciatively.

“A good topic of conversation. I’ll bring up a few good points later, but for now, Stacy is here.”

“Oh joy. Where?” You ask, walking with her and Steve towards the building.

“She’s by her locker but she’s waiting for you to walk in. She has people posted by the doors and by your lockers so she’s going to know when you get here.”

“How do you know all this?” You ask, pausing outside the front doors. Nat grins mischievously and pulls an ipad out of her bag, unlocking it and showing you the screen.

“What am I looking at?” Steve asks, peering over your shoulder.

“You didn’t…” You mutter, looking up at Nat who looks incredibly smug.

“Oh yeah.” She nods, swiping the screen.

“She’s hacked into the school’s camera system.” You say, swiping the screen, a different angle of the main school corridor coming onto the screen.

“How the fuck did you do that.” Steve asks, his mouth wide, staring at Nat in awe.

“I know things.” She says with a shrug.

“Super spy.” Steve whispers in your ear as you walk through the main doors into school.

“Ok so Stacy is here.” Nat says, pointing at the screen. “By her lockers. She has people positioned, here, here and here.”

“Ok so what’s the plan?” You ask.

“Well I have people here, here aaand here to slow her down if necessary. But chances are she’s going to plow through them so I hope you have a decent right hook.”

“What?!” You cry, turning to look at Steve with wide eyes.

“How do you have people?” He asks, clearly unconcerned.

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know.” Nat says offhandedly, waving dismissively. “But now’s not the time for that, Stacy is on her way.”

“I can’t punch what do I do?!” You turn to Steve in desperation.

“Mr Stark!” You hear Nat cry, practically grabbing your principal as he walks down the corridor. You catch sight of Stacy pausing, watching.

“What is it Natalia?”

“Urr, Natasha sir. (y/n) here and myself were just talking about how great a job we think you’re doing with this school.” Nat says in a simpering voice. You continue staring at Stacy, who is giving you a look so harsh you can practically feel it burning through you. “Weren’t we (y/n)”

“Oh.” You snap out of it and turn your attention back to Nat, who is looking at you urgently. “Oh yeah. Before you got here it was a mess. You’re really doing an incredible job.”

“Well thank you girls.” Mr Stark says, looking bored. He had taken over as Principal last year at your high school, supposedly one of the best principals in the state. However you rarely saw him, he spent most of his time in autoshop working on his many cars. You glance over and see that Stacy is walking away, catching Nat’s eye and nodding subtly.

“Well ok thanks Sir it was great talking to you.” Nat says, smiling at Mr Stark.

“Yeah. Whatever. See you at the game Stewie.” He nods at Steve and continues down the corridor, flinching away anytime a student brushed against him.

“What now?” You ask, Nat staring at her ipad.

“We need to go that way.” She says, pointing down the corridor.

“Why?”

“Because Stacy is coming from that way.”

“Lead the way.” You say, Nat storming off. “Come on Stewie.”

“Oi!” You hear Steve call as you hurry after Nat. You get to the end of the corridor, turning to find Steve isn’t behind you.

“MAN DOWN MAN DOWN!” Nat shouts.

“Nat.” You say, staring at her.

“Sorry. I got caught up in the moment.” She says sheepishly, pulling you back up the corridor towards Steve, who has been surrounded by cheerleaders.

“Stacy wants to talk to you Steve.” One of the cheerleaders is saying as you reach the group, pushing through to get to Steve.

“Come on Steve let’s go.” You hold onto his sleeve, but before you can leave you hear a voice calling over the noise of the crowded corridor.

“Stevie! Babe. You’ve got something on your arm!” Stacy appears through the crowd, her eyes fixed on Steve. “Oh no wait, it’s just a man stealing whore.”

“Stacy…” Steve starts, the cheerleaders moving back to form a larger circle around you. Nat is close by your side, your hand still clinging onto Steve’s sleeve.

“Steve baby I haven’t seen you in so long.” She simpers, pressing her hand against his chest. His eyes flicker down at her and he falters slightly before replying.

“We’re over Stacy.”

“We are over, when I say we are over Stevie.” Stacy says, her voice harsh and cruel.

“Look.” You say suddenly, unsure of where this sudden burst of confidence had come from. “You need to back the fuck off ok.”

“What did you just say to me?” Stacy asks, turning to you, looking amused.

“You and Steve are over. Or was I imagining it when he walked in on Bucky balls deep in you at a party two weeks ago huh?” You hear a low oooo from the large crowd which had now gathered around you. You are pleased when Stacy’s cheeks flush red slightly.

“That was nothing to do with me. I didn’t want that. I love Steve.”

“Oh you love him so much you’ve screwed practically the entire football team while dating him huh?” You shoot back, and her eyes widen slightly. “Oh yeah. I know about that.”

“Everyone knew about it!” You hear someone from the crowd call, laughter rippling around the circle.

“(y/n) don’t you think that’s a bit harsh…” You hear a voice from behind you. You turn and stare at Steve incredulously, his expression conflicted.

“You’re sticking up for her?!” You almost shout, Nat placing her hand gently on your arm in an attempt to calm you down. “She is the one who has been cheating on you for the entire of your two year relationship! I was just too fucking nice to tell you!”

“Stacy wouldn’t do that to me.” He insists, glancing at Stacy who is still standing still, mouth wide open.

“Oh. Oh that’s great.” You scoff, laughter bubbling inside you from the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. “This girl here is…is…just cruel! She doesn’t deserve you! You are so good and she is so foul, disgusting and-”

The crowd burst into loud cheers when Stacy stepped forward and punched you in the face. Steve just stands and watches in shock while chants of fight fight fight fill your ears, while blood fills your mouth. It wasn’t a particularly good punch, but she had managed to get you in just the right spot, catching your nose. You hardly see Nat step in front of you, don’t see what she does with her hand she moves so quickly, but you do see Stacy crumple to the ground in a heap, and hear the resulting roar of appreciation from students.

It was then the teachers burst through the throng, pulling Nat away from Stacy, helping you up, lifting a seemingly unconscious Stacy off the floor. Steve seems to finally break out of his stupor, running forward and grabbing your arm, but you shake him off, not looking at him.

“(y/n)?” He says, sounding confused, but you ignore him. Instead you gesture for Nat, who rushes forward. You sling your arm around her neck and she steadies you, your head now spinning, blood dripping on the floor.

“Bring her this way Natasha.” You hear a teacher call through the now hushed corridor, everyone watching closely in case something else dramatic happens.

“(y/n) I’m sorry!” Steve is beside you again, pleading with you, but still you ignore him, letting Nat lead you through some doors into the nurse’s office. You sit on a chair and people start fussing around you, and you look up seeing Steve standing in the doorway, his face broken. Then someone shuts the door, and he is gone.


	6. Chapter 6

The nurse cleans up your nose quickly, deciding it isn’t broken by prodding and pushing it in all manner of painful ways. She tells you to wait while she looks at Stacy, who is now awake and glaring at you and Nat from across the room.

“What did you do to her?” You whisper to Nat, who had been allowed to stay in the room with you purely because you pretended to pass out from grief every time she was made to leave.

“Oh nothing major. Just a way to knock her out quickly. Don’t worry about it.” She says casually, shrugging.

“Don’t worry about it?! Nat you knocked someone out in seconds!” You hiss, staring at her. She sighs and shrugs again.

“I train a lot. Martial arts, boxing, all that sort of stuff. I…I didn’t get treated great as a kid so I wanted to make sure I could look after myself you know. Just don’t worry about it.” She looks away from you, her cheeks slightly pink, so you don’t push it.

“Well at least is Stacy grabs a needle and lunges for me you can protect me right?” You ask, Nat laughing slightly.

“Yeah I got your back dude.” She says, nudging you slightly with her elbow. You laugh and nudge her back, it quickly turning into a full blown war.

“Ladies.” The nurse says in a disapproving tone, the both of you freezing.

“Sorry.” You both mutter under your breath as she tuts.

“The principal wants to see the pair of you in his office. (y/n) your nose looks ok, if you still feel groggy and dizzy go to the emergency room, you might have a concussion. Ok?”

“Ok, thanks Miss.” You call as she turns her attention back to Stacy, who is desperately trying to leave with you. Nat grabs your arm and pulls you out the door before Stacy can say anything.

“So what are you going to do about Steve?” Nat asks, the pair of you loitering in the now eerily empty and quiet hallway.

“I don’t know…” You admit, biting your lip nervously.

“I definitely didn’t see it coming him sticking up for Stacy like that though. That was rough.”

“Yeah, I mean they dated for two years right? They clearly had feelings for eachother. But me and Steve are…we’re…well I don’t technically know what we are but we are more than we used to be surely? He caught her cheating on him you would think I take priority.” You say, now starting to get worried you were overreacting.

“Oh no you’re totally right. He should have been on your side a hundred percent. Just maybe there is something we don’t know? You should talk to him about it.” She says, knocking on Mr Stark’s door. You hear a faint come in through the glass.

“Come on, let’s get this over with. Technically you did nothing wrong except some name calling but it was all true so.” Nat says reassuringly, opening the door and walking in.

“Come in ladies, have a seat.” Mr Stark says once you are both in his office. It isn’t until you are completely inside his office, with the door shut, that you notice Steve sitting in the corner. He stares at you, smiling sheepishly when you catch his eye. You look away instantly, turning your attention to Mr Stark.

“Now Stewie has told me everything that happened, a couple of other students backed up his story. (y/n) as far as I can tell besides being rude to another student you didn’t exactly do anything wrong. However, you were still involved, however loosely, in a fight. So I think a week’s detention should do it.”

“Sir!” Steve says outraged, standing up in his corner. Mr Stark sighs, pushing his always present sunglasses up his nose.

“Sit down Stewie I can’t be dealing with your nonsense right now.” Mr Stark says in a voice that tells you he clearly would rather be anywhere else than here.

“Fine.” Steve grumbles, sitting back down in his chair. He crosses his arms and his bottom lip sticks out in a sulk that you can’t help but quirk a small smile at.

“The school day is practically over (y/n) so you can just go home to save other people punching you, alright?”

“Urmm…ok? Thanks?” You say, looking at Nat and shrugging.

“Natalia from what I hear you punched Stacy but it was retaliation from her punching (y/n)?” Mr Stark now turns his attention to Nat.

“Well I didn’t technically punch her…” She says, Mr Starks eyebrow raising visibly from under his sunglasses. “But yes it was to stop her attacking (y/n)”

“Well.” He sighs. “I’m going to have to suspend you for two days. Stacy will get three for starting it. I’ll call all of your parents…tomorrow. Sound fair?”

“Sure. Am I going home now then?” Nat asks, standing. You follow suit.

“Yeah get out. Take Stewie with you I don’t need to hear anymore about his emotions.” Mr Stark says, waving you out. Without looking back at Steve, you follow Nat out of the office and hurry down the corridor towards the exit.

“(Y/N)!” You hear Steve shouting from behind you. You glance at Nat, and you both speed up, bursting through the front doors into the sun.

“Leave me alone Steve.” You say when you hear his heavy footsteps behind you running to catch up.

“At least let me drive you home. Your head must hurt.” You pause and think, turning to face him.

“Fine, but Nat is coming with me.” You say, stalking past him towards his car, Nat close behind you. You wait by the car, and when he unlocks it you slide into the back seat with Nat beside you. You watch him through the window, and see him sigh before getting in and starting the car. 

“Are you ok?” He asks tentatively after a few minutes of driving.

“Fine.” You say, staring out of the window.

“Is your nose ok?” He tries again.

“Fine.”

“Come on give me something.” He says, starting to sound frustrated.

“Nope.” After that he stops, the rest of the journey made in silence. When he pulls to a stop outside your house, you get out without a word. Nat follows you, and so does Steve. You storm across your front yard to your door and open it, but Steve grabs your arm before you can go inside.

“We need to talk.” He insists.

“There is nothing to talk about Steve.” You say, your blood boiling. You push him backwards, walking him back to his car, leaving your front door wide open.

“There is a lot to talk about!” He cries, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“Urmm…guys…” You hear Nat call.

“Not now.” You shout, your eyes fixed on Steve.

“Let me explain.” He pleads, giving you his best puppy dog eyes.

“No! I don’t want to hear a word you have to say!” You shout.

“GUYS!” Nat practically screams. You both turn to look at her, and see she is pointing at a car quickly approaching. Stacy’s car.

“Well shit now look what you’ve done.” You say accusingly.

“How was this possibly my fault?!” He cries in exasperation, watching as Stacy’s car reaches you and screeches to a halt. She reverses slightly, then shoots forward, crashing her car into the back of your mums which was parked in your driveway.

“STACY!” You scream, your eyes wide as she backs up and shoots forward again, her car crumpling with each hit.

“Stacy STOP!” Steve shouts, but Stacy just backs off into the road again. You see her door open and watch as she walks across the yard to where you and Steve are standing.

“Want to defend her now huh?” You ask, backing away slightly when Stacy moves towards you. Nat steps in, pushing her way in front of Stacy.

“You might want to rethink that one.” She says in a dangerous voice, Stacy visibly backing up slightly.

“I am going to get you arrested for assault.” She shoots at Nat in a shaky voice. “And you will never have Steve. He is mine.” She says to you.

“Yeah sure. Whatever.” You laugh.

“Stacy. Leave.” Steve says in a careful voice.

“But baby-”

“Leave.” He repeats.

“Fine. Fine. I’ll call you later.” She says, holding her head high and turning on her heels, almost jogging back to her car.

“Don’t bother.” Steve calls after her, but if she heard she didn’t acknowledge it. You hear her car door slam, and the engine start. What you don’t notice though, is the streak of fur, the puppy that had realised the front door had been left wide open, and had made a break for freedom. You see Frank at the last minute, bounding into the road, just as Stacy’s car shoots off.

“NO!” You cry, frozen in shock. Steve sprints in front of you, into the road, Stacy speeding down the road without stopping to see what she had hit. Steve kneels in the middle of the road, picking a limp Frank off the floor. You cover your mouth, tears rolling down your cheeks.

Nat puts her arm around you as you start to sob, watching Steve still kneeling in the middle of the road. Watching Steve stand up holding your lifeless puppy in his arms. Watching Steve not see the truck as he takes a step too far. Watching Steve crumple to the ground as Frank had done not five minutes earlier, the truck not stopping either to see what it had hit.


	7. Chapter 7

You seem to lose yourself on your way to the hospital, not really taking in anything that was happening around you, only keeping your eyes fixed on Steve’s face. Every now and then you would hear a word, critical, internal bleeding, paralysis and glance frantically, before turning your attention back to Steve. They had let you ride in the ambulance and you were grateful for it. The thought of staying at your house, not knowing what was happening, was unbearable.

Nat had been left at your house to talk to your parents when they got home, and to deal with Frank. You didn’t want to leave her with that, but she seemed to understand. Nobody knew what had happened to Stacy. As far as you knew she had left and didn’t realise she had done anything except hit your dog with her car.

“Alright my love let’s get moving.” You hear the kind female paramedic next to you say. It takes your eyes a few moments to come into focus, staring at her while you process what was happening. “We’re almost here, we need to get him out straight away once we park. So when the doors open you hop out, alright?”

“Ok” You say emotionlessly, nodding that you understand. For Steve.

“You ready hon?”

“Yes.” You reply, preparing yourself for the doors to swing open. As soon as they do you jump out with such enthusiasm you almost fall, one of the hospital porters steadying you.

“Alright this way.” The paramedic nods her head in the direction they would be travelling, seeming to understand that whatever happened, you would be going with Steve. It was then Steve’s eyes opened.

“HE’S AWAKE.” You shout, running alongside the stretcher, looking at the paramedic in desperation. Nobody does anything, instead focusing on getting to where they need to be in the shortest time possible. You try to keep your eyes on Steve’s face, his eyes wide, swivelling frantically around his head. Then, without warning, they roll back into his head and close again.

Then the stretcher stops and Steve is being transferred to the people in scrubs and white coats. The paramedics are rattling off information so quickly it makes your head hurt trying to listen. The doctors then start shouting at each other, the stretcher being grabbed by another pair of hands and being wheeled through a set of doors, followed by the crowd of people in scrubs and white coats. You try to walk through the door too, but you find yourself stopped, a hand on your arm.

“You can’t go in there.” A nurse says, leading you to a small group of chairs to the side of the door.

“What’s there?”

“The surgery theatres. Hospital staff only. Are you a family member?” She asks, her tone softening at your expression.

“No he’s my best fri- my boy friend. Both.” You say, the magnitude of what had just happened finally hitting you, the tears flowing freely. The nurse produces a box of tissues, from where you don’t know, but you take them gratefully.

“You stay out here for as long as you want. There are vending machines in the corner if you get peckish. Do you want me to call anyone for you?” She asks kindly, rubbing her hand gently against your arm.

“Can I borrow your phone?” You say, a sudden thought running through your mind. You had left your phone in your bag with Nat, and you needed to make a call.

“You calling your parents?” The nurse asks, leading you over to a desk with a phone.

“No, his. They’re out of town and I want them to hear about this from someone they know before a stranger. He’d…they’d prefer it.” You say, trying to slow your breathing and calm yourself.

“Good idea. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee?”

 

“Can I have a tea?”

“Of course you can, I’ll be right back.”

“Thank you.” A calmness had fallen over you. The need to talk to Steve’s parents had taken priority and you had to be strong for him. With a deep breath, you dialled his mum’s number which you had had memorised for years.

“Hello?”

“Mrs Rogers? It’s (y/n)” Her familiar voice soothes you slightly.

“Hello dear, is everything alright?”

“There’s…been an accident Mrs Rogers. You should come back.” You say slowly, not really sure how to word this sensitively.

“What’s happened? Is Steve ok? Can I talk to him?” A touch of panic creeps into her voice, and you struggle to keep the tears down when you speak again.

“Steve was hit by car. I’m at the hospital now. He’s gone into surgery, I…I don’t know what’s going on. We only just got here, I wanted to call you and let you know before the doctors.” You pause and listen, hearing nothing on the other end of the line. Then you hear a slight whimper, and some rustling.

“(y/n)?”

“Mr Rogers. Did you hear?” Steve’s dad has taken the phone, his voice steely.

“Yes. We’re going to leave now. We should only be a few hours. Call us with any updates.”

“Of course.” You say, relieved that they would be here soon. That you wouldn’t be alone.

“Thank you for calling us. We appreciate it.”

“Not at all. I thought you’d rather hear from me than anyone else.”

“Are you ok? Did you get hurt at all?” He asks next, this for some reason making you start to cry again.

“No, I’m ok. I’m just in the waiting room.”

“Are you alone? Do you have anyone with you?”

“It’s just me but someone will be here soon. I’ll be fine.”

“Alright. We will be there as soon as we can. Call with updates. Thank you (y/n)” And at that, the phone goes dead.

“Here’s your tea.” The nurse says, placing a mug in front of you. You appreciated that she’d taken the time to make you a proper cup, rather than one from a machine.

“Thank you.” You take a sip, the warmth down your throat soothing you.

“Are his parents on their way?” She asks, walking with you back to the waiting room seats.

“Yeah they should be here in a couple of hours.” You say, holding your cup tightly between your hands. The nurse starts to talk, but stops when the doors from the theatre swing open, and a doctor walks through looking around. He see’s you and walks over, a grim look on his face.

“Are you the one who came in with Steve Rogers?” He asks you, and you nod.

“Are his parents here?” You shake your head. “Are you a relative?”

“No. His parents are on their way but I’m all he has at the moment.” You say firmly.

The doctor sighs, glancing at the nurse before talking. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”


	8. Chapter 8

“What kind of bad news?” You ask, hardly noticing when the nurse beside you grabs your hand and holds it tightly.

“He has been stabilised but we haven’t been able to prevent everything, he has severe damage to his left leg. It would be wise to amputate, but we need permission from a family member.” The doctor explains and you feel yourself breathe a sigh of relief knowing he is still alive, that is is going to be ok.

“His parents aren’t here, I can call-”

“He’s losing a lot of blood, there isn’t much time. You are going to have to make this decision for him. Can we amputate?”

“Will it be better for him if you do?” You ask shakily, feeling unsure.

“Yes. If we don’t the chance of infection is incredibly high, the damage caused by keeping it outweigh the disadvantages of amputating.”

“Then do it. It’s what his parents would want.” You say, nodding firmly. The doctor nods curtly and disappears back through the double doors. You stumble back and slump into a chair, your hands shaking.

“He’ll be alright dear.”

“He’s a quarterback.” You say slowly. “He had a football scholarship to college.”

“Well he will be alive. That’s the most important thing.” She pats your knee and stands, leaving you in the waiting room alone.

You lose track of time, not sure how long you have been waiting and how long Steve has been in surgery. Nat appears at some point and sits next to you, understanding that you don’t want to talk, instead just taking your hand and holding it tightly. You stay like that in silence until you see Steve’s parents hurrying down the corridor towards you, faces pale and stricken. You stand and meet them, their faces expectant.

“Is he ok? What’s going on?” His mum demands, her hand gripping your arm.

“He’s still in surgery. He’s stabilised. He’s going to be ok.” You say, watching them both visibly relax. “But umm…”

“What?” His dad prompts as you falter.

“They’re amputating his left leg.”

“What?! Why?!” His mum practically shouts.

“The damage to it was too extreme, he would have been in a lot of pain and could have had more problems if they’d left it.” You explain gently.

“Isn’t someone supposed to make that decision? Shouldn’t they have asked us before doing it?” His dad asks, clearly calmer than his wife.

“There wasn’t time, he was losing a lot of blood. They couldn’t have waited. I made the decision. I think I did the right thing. I’m sorry.” You feel your bottom lip starting to quiver, tears welling in your eyes.

“Oh my dear of course. We would have done the same. Thank you.” His mum lunges forward and pulls you into a hug, and you relax into her arms, grateful they aren’t angry for what you decided.

—

It’s another hour or so before the doctor emerges from surgery, Steve being wheeled behind on a stretcher. His parents rush to his side as he is wheeled away and you trail behind nervously, not sure whether you are welcome or not. You had sent Nat home about half an hour ago, sure that while you might be able to get into the room with Steve’s parents, there was no use her waiting around.

When they got Steve to a room you lingered by the door, peering in, not sure if you would be intruding. His parents are huddled next to his bed, the doctor talking softly to them. You feel your eyes reluctantly moving down his body and see the empty space under the blanket where his leg should have been. They’d amputated just below the knee, his whole body seeming off with this missing limb.

“(Y/n)” you hear his mum call from the room, the doctor nodding to you as he leaves. You sidle in, staying near the door, reluctant to get too close.

“Look we really appreciate you staying here, but you need to go home and get some rest.” His dad says gently, walking towards you and placing his hand on your arm.

“But-” You start, but you get cut off.

“You can come back as tomorrow. We will put you on the family list for visitors, so whenever you want. Ok?” Steve mums says, walking over and pulling you into a hug.

“Thank you.” You whisper, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill over.

“(y/n)?” You hear a quiet voice murmur from the bed, and all three of you rush to Steve’s side. You take his hand and kneel on the floor, your face close to his.

“I’m here Steve. You’re going to be ok.” You voice thick, the tears you had been holding back finally breaking free as you feel his hand squeeze yours.

“Here.” Steve doesn’t open his eyes, his lips barely moving as he mutters the single word. Then, his face goes slack again, and his hand drops out of yours back onto the bed.

“I’ll be…back tomorrow.” You say quietly, and his parents nod wordlessly as you stand. You give both of them quick hugs and rush out of the room before you can look back. You didn’t want to leave, but you had to see your mum. You would be back tomorrow.

As you leave the hospital, phone in hand, intending to call your mum to pick you up, you hear a voice call your name. You turn and see Bucky jogging towards you, and you freeze in surprise.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” You say, anger rushing through you.

“I heard what happened and I wanted to check in.” He says, shrugging.

“Why?” You ask, crossing your arms accusingly.

“Well I feel partly responsible.” He says, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“Mmhmm.” You say, not buying any of his shit.

“Is he alright?”

“I wouldn’t say alright but he’s alive.” You shoot back, turning and walking away.

“Hey, let me drive you home.” He calls after you, running to catch up.

“Why would I ever want you to drive me anywhere?”

“Well it’s late and you clearly need a ride.”

“My mum can pick me up.” You say, dialing your home number and waiting, but it goes straight to voicemail. You try her mobile instead, but it does the same thing. With a sigh, you turn back to Bucky. “Fine.”


	9. Chapter 9

“So what happened with Steve?” Bucky asks after a few minutes of driving. “All I heard was that he was in a car accident.”

“Stacy hit my dog, Steve ran into the road to help him, then he got hit by a truck.” You say flatly, staring out the window.

“Shit, that’s fucking messed up.”

“You don’t say.” You shoot at him, rolling your eyes.

“Look, I am really sorry about the whole thing that went down with Stacy and Steve.” He says suddenly, sounding surprisingly sincere.

“Yeah alright.” You scoff, not believing a word of it.

“Honestly I am. She told me she’d broken up with Steve to be with me, I did actually think she liked me.”

“Really?” You turn to look at him curiously.

“Yeah, she’d been leading me on for a while. I realise how stupid I am now looking at how obsessive she is over Steve.”

“So she used you?” You say, still feeling unsure about this sudden confession of innocence.

“Yeah. She said she thought he was hooking up with you. I guess now she was trying to make him jealous.”

“Man she is messed up.” You say quietly, shaking your head.

“So you believe me?” Bucky says hopefully.

“Yeah I guess so. I have no reason to believe you would be lying.” You say with a shrug, Bucky grinning at you.

“Thanks! So where do you live?” He asks, and when you look around you realise you are pretty close to your house.

“Take a right down the next road, then a left and that’s my street.” You say, settling back into your seat.

“So are you going to go back to the hospital tomorrow?” Bucky asks.

“Yeah, I need to shower and sleep. I’ll go back in the morning.” You say, yawning slightly.

“I want to apologise to Steve too, but I should probably wait a bit first.”

“Yeah that’d probably be best.” You nod. “Oh, this is me.”

“Ok, so see you around I guess?” He says, pulling over and switching off the engine.

“Yeah, I guess.” You smile. “Thanks for the ride.”

“No problem.”

You jump out of the car and shut the door, turning to wave when you get to your house. You unlock the front door and walk into darkness. You flick on the lights and look around, confused.

“Mum?” You call, silence answering you.

Then you hear a knock on the door. Assuming it’s your mum, you are surprised when you open it and find Bucky standing on your doorstep.

“Hey?” You say, confused.

 

“My car won’t start.” He mumbles, shuffling slightly.

“Shit. Alright. Well, come in.” You say, stepping aside.

“I would just walk but I live on the other side of town.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty late.” You say, sighing. “Did you want to crash here and call your mum in the morning?”

“Would that be ok?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, you can sleep down here on the pullout couch.” You say, just as there is another knock on the door. This time when you answer, it actually is your mum.

“Where were you?” You ask when you see her.

“Come here.” She says, grabbing your arm and dragging you outside towards her car. “I was at the vets.”

“The vets-what?” You say confused, freezing when you reach the car. In the boot, lying down with a cast on his leg, but very much alive, was Frank.

“He’s going to be ok. Just a broken leg and some bruises. They said it was a miracle.”

“Oh my GOD!” You cry, bundling Frank into your arms and hugging him gently, not wanting to hurt him. “Thank you mum.”

 

“Let’s get him inside.” She says, pushing you gently towards the house.

“Is everything ok?” Bucky asks when you get back inside the house.

“Yes, everything is amazing. Frank is ok.”

 

“Who is Frank?” He asks, brows furrowed.

“My dog.”

“You named your dog Frank?”

“Long story.” You say, smiling at the memory.

“Who is this?” Your mum pipes in.

“Oh yeah mum, this is Bucky.” You say, Bucky waving slightly.

 

“The Bucky who-”

“His car broke down.” You say quickly, cutting her off, not wanting Bucky to know you’d told on him to your mum. “So I said he could sleep on the couch and call his mum tomorrow.”

“Sure. Let me grab some blankets.” Your mum says, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“Thanks mum.” You say, perching on the edge of the sofa, Frank still in your arms. You hear a sudden ringing sound, and realise it’s coming from your phone in your back pocket. Placing Frank gently on the sofa, you answer without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“(Y/N), it’s me.” Steve’s mum says in a shaky voice.

“Is everything ok? What’s going on?” You ask quickly, the tone of her voice making you nervous.

“Steve’s ok. He woke up. We urmm…can you come visit him tomorrow?”

“I was already planning on it.” You say quickly, still feeling like something was wrong.

“Do you…have any photos or anything you can bring? Of Steve, and you?” She asks, the shaking in her voice getting worse.

“…Why?”

“He woke up and is having some…issues with his memory. The doctor thinks only temporarily. But photos are supposed to help.” She says slowly, and a feeling of dread settles in your stomach.

“Did he remember you?” You ask slowly.

“After a while he worked it out. I don’t know if that was his memory or just common sense though.”

“I’ll be there at about nine tomorrow. I promise.” You say firmly, not letting your voice break.

“Thank you dear, that means a lot.”

“Of course. Night.” And at that, you hang up the phone. You look up at Bucky and your mum, who were standing in front of you looking anxious. You tried to talk but the words didn’t work. All you could hear in your head was the same question going round and round. Would Steve remember you tomorrow?


End file.
